Super Serb Ana Ivanovic is out to make it third time lucky in Dubai after she announced she will be back in the emirate for a tilt at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The reigning French Open champion will not have it easy at the Aviation Club next month though with a stellar field, which includes all ten of the world's top ten. The world No.5 will join Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina, Venus Williams and defending champion Elena Dementieva in the region's most prestigious tournament which, under the ATP and WTA restructure, is the only ATP 500 and only WTA Premier 5 sanctioned Championships in the Middle East. And with this new, enhanced status there is now a total prize money pot of $4 million on offer. Tournament managing director Colm McLoughlin is looking forward to welcoming the Serb back. "We are thrilled to see her return to Dubai and it will be interesting to see how well she does in a field that is second to none," he said. "Ana Ivanovic is not only a world-class champion, but someone who is universally liked by the players and fans alike." Meanwhile, Ivanovic got her Australian Open campaign off to a god start with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Germany's Julia Goerges. Elsewhere, world No.1 Jankovic brushed aside Yvonne Meusburger 6-1, 6-3 in impressive fashion as she looks for a maiden Grand Slam title to silence the critics who question her ranking. She said: "It's exciting to begin this tournament and to start with a win is always nice," she said. Venus and Serena Williams get their Australian Open campaigns off today.
E 2009 Al Sidra Media LLC
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
No comments:
Post a Comment